ABSTRACT
This chapter explores three major themes presented in W. E. B. Du Bois’s early work that can help us understand the unique social location of Black women. First, Du Bois was keenly aware of the suffering of Black women. The second theme addresses Du Bois’s observations about Black women’s work. The third theme is a complex one that examines Black women’s roles in preserving family and community. Segregation and job discrimination shaped where Black women could work. These forms of exploitation were accompanied by media representations that devalued Black women by communicating that they were satisfied with domestic work. In Du Bois’s words, Black women were excluded from the “worship of women”; that status was reserved for certain majority group women. Although Du Bois’s book provides evidence of the contributions Black women made to the family, it does not speak to the larger issue of how to frame Black women’s social location.
